I WOULD like to take issue with the total lack of forward thinking when it comes to transport across our wonderful town.

I moved to Bournemouth in 1979 and recall at the time there were proposals to "link" the Wessex Way through to the A35. The population of the three towns has grown considerably since then yet there have been no major route improvements at all.

Successive councils have taken the attitude that motorists can be forced out of their cars and onto public transport and no doubt this has been partly successful as demonstrated by the sheer number of buses now clogging up our roads.

However, it remains the case that not everyone is able to use public transport for a multitude of reasons and I would argue that those who still don't never will. Thus we are left with the atrocious situation we have now of near gridlocked roads.

We really must insist that serious consideration be given to urgently linking the A35 east of Christchurch through to the A35 west of Poole to create a "conurbation" bypass. It is simply not acceptable to keep building more and more properties, attracting more and more business and industry to the area, whilst not giving any thought to traffic congestion and the time wasted every day trying to fight our way across the borough.

It's high time the councils got together and planned a proper and meaningful way forward and stopped wasting money tinkering with junctions to make tiny improvements.

NICK LEIGH

Montague Road, Bournemouth